“Floral couture offers opportunities from over the-top creative expression to real sales – as well as a venue for creating a distinguishing niche for your busines.”
When we think of couture, awe-inspiring creations shown at New York Fashion Week or on a Paris runway come to mind for many of us. And in our industry, “floral couture” has grown quickly as an exciting new segment for floral designers to be inspired by, experiment with and, ultimately, adapt into salable pieces for their specific marketplaces. For daydreamers, this is where the imagination can run wild. However, for event and wedding designers and retail florists, practical flowers to wear are the order of the day. This year, we give you both. First, enjoy our profiles on two incredible floral-couture designers, Julia Rose, from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, and Tobey Nelson, from Langley, Wash., and then feast your eyes on the more commercially viable designs from dozens of designers from across the U.S. and the world.
For creatives in the fashion world, high-end couture captures their imaginations and inspires them to dream. Floral couture infuses the same passion in many floral designers, especially those who have been privileged to experience such concepts come to life.
For botanical artist Julia Rose, owner of Flowers by Julia Rose in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, she designs floral couture for the “imagery” and “creating for the sake of creating.” For years she had been a floral teacher and then decided to do something that inspired her in a different way.
“My weddings and events fund my art,” Rose explains. “But it is my pieces that people connect with on different levels. The first piece I created was like an emotional breakdown where you pour your heart into your art. Everyone loved it. It was an addictive creation.”
Her runway, red carpet, music festival and celebrity events stir the creative juices of members of the flower world, news departments and the world of preforming arts. “I am the weirdo who attracts those in the theatrical world because of their eccentricities,” Rose shares. “My clients are creative types. My studio is like a unicorn exploded rainbows. Chaos makes me thrive, and I create for the love of creation. My customers come to me because of my brand. They are comfortable with me, and they trust me.”
Traveling to do demonstrations and teaching general floristry, Rose loves inspiring and being inspired by others. “The most important thing for me about this industry is sustainability – that we are successful into the future and evolve and inspire others,” she says. “The people who come to my workshops and demonstrations are better than me. They can design better arrangements than me. They come to me for inspiration and to evolve. Everything you do shapes you in a certain way. All my failures have made me stronger. For artists, do what you love, and people will see that; your passion will shine through.”
Landscape-horticultural-designer-turned-event-and-wedding-floral-designer Tobey Nelson, owner of Tobey Nelson Events & Design in Langley, Wash., stumbled over her love for floral couture. While skimming through floral magazines, she came across a headpiece by Susan McLeary. “I went, ‘Wow!’ You can put flowers on your head!” The rest, you can say, is history.
Nelson’s love for floral headpieces has created a niche market for her with brides. “When I create, even if it is not an ideal time for a project or event, I always am left full. It gives much more than it takes from me. It is really creative rechargeable play.”
